Recipe of the day

Aishah,

You may try at Pindi's or Dev Metal at Khan Market. They are kithen items stores, and serve Expats. Might be available with them.

Pongal Spacials left out with some modification

Walnut and Yoghurt Cake with Coffee Syrup

This is one of my favourite recipes. It is taken from the book “Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons (Enchanting dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa)” by Diana Henry.

In Greece we often come across “karydopita” (walnut cake) which usually has an extremely sweet syrup poured over it. This recipe has taken that idea and modified it somewhat by making a hybrid version with “yaourtopita” (Greek yoghurt cake), which – as its name suggests – is a (sponge) cake made with the addition of (unsweetened) plain yoghurt. I always use sheep’s yoghurt but you can substitute cow’s yoghurt. I also use sheep’s butter but obviously any kind of butter is fine. As for the coffee – I made it very strong, but that is up to individual taste! If you don’t like coffee (hello Julia!) you can substitute some other flavouring, maybe make it a lemon syrup or an orange syrup, both of which are more traditional with walnut cake.

Ingredients

175 g of butter
175 g of caster sugar
2 eggs
175 g of plain yoghurt
175 g of shelled walnuts,
of which
125g roughly chopped walnuts
and
50 g ground walnuts
175 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Optional
Icing sugar to sift over the cake – but I leave this out as I dislike it – up to you

For the Syrup
275 ml of strong coffee
75 g of caster sugar
2 tablespoons Brandy (optional)


Method

(1) Cream the butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and keep beating. Then stir in the yoghurt and the walnuts.
(2) Sift the flour together with the baking powder and fold into the batter.
(3) Pour into a well-greased cake tin or suitable oven-going dish, and bake the cake for around 40 minutes at a medium temperature (180 degrees Celsius),
(4) Whilst the cake is in the oven, make the coffee syrup by mixing the coffee with the sugar and then boiling it (quite fiercely) to reduce by half. Add the brandy if using.
(5) Pierce the cake all over with a fork and while it is still warm from the oven pour all of the syrup over it to soak.
(6) N.B. Cake is much better if made the day before. It improves with keeping.
Enjoy !

Sounds yummy, thanks TD! I might try it with the coffee as even though I don't like coffee to drink I do like coffee-flavoured things like icing. One of those quirks!

The cake sounds absolutely yummy, TD! I love coffee, walnuts, and yogurt, so it's a winner on all counts!

Side note, maybe I should put this in quirks of Indian english but really i think it's an American quirk - when I first moved to the States, I was invited me over for "coffee cake".

Growing up, my mum used to make cake using coffee, so to me a coffee cake meant a cake w/ (and tasting of) coffee. I don't particularly like plain cakes and was so disappointed to find out in the U.S. a coffee cake = cake eaten w/ coffee. Odd I thought since a chocolate cake isn't a cake eaten w/ chocolate! Anyway, I know better now.

Glad you liked this, Julia and Namaste_cat! The huge benefit of this cake is that it keeps for absolutely ages (providing you don't scoff it!) because the coffee and brandy act as preservatives.

Do you have any recipe for a really coffee-flavoured cake? I have also been disappointed in cookery books by this misnomer of "coffee cake"!

Going back to walnut cake.... when I was growing up in the south of England we used to buy from a fancy cake shop in town a cake called Fuller's Walnut Cake. I have been trying to recreate the flavour of that cake ever since, without success. It is probably one of those oddities of memory. If I were to taste it again now, some forty years later, it would probably have lost its aura.

Edit
Especially if the said cake had been waiting for 40 years!

Sounds yummy.. Reminds me of the Christmas cake my friends mom baked with walnuts and raisins and rum I think.. Haven't had in decades..

Have tried Zucchini both steamed & sauted with spices but wanted something spicy and yummy to go with rice or roti's.



(I made this last night & it was yummy!)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
1 spoon cumin seeds
1 medium sized union, chopped
7 or 8 zucchinis cut as desired
5 or 6 medium sized tomatoes chopped
A handful of fresh or frozen peas (optional)
1/2 spoon Turmeric
1/2 tablespoon++ chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
1 and 1/2 cups of water
Salt to taste

Method:
- In hot pan add oil and cumin seeds.
- When it starts spluttering add chopped onions and turmeric & chilli powder.
- Sauté lightly until coated with masala,
- Add the chopped zucchini. Stir well and sauté for a few minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes, stir well.
- Add water, cumin powder and coriander powder & salt.
- Add the peas
- Cover and let cook on medium flame until the zucchini is well done.
- Additional chilli powder & salt can be added as desired,
- Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves,

Enjoy the sabzi with cooked rice or quinoa, pita bread, Indian naan, roti or chapati. You can substitute zucchini in this recipe with cabbage or cauliflower or potato or carrots. They all taste good!